Mikami is the godfather of survival horror.

Knowing when to fight and when to flee.

Adding another aspect of anxiety when youve already got a horde of monsters wanting to chew on your fibula.

The better you do, the harder it becomes.

No matter your skill level, every fight presents a challenge.

Its a way of ensuring youre forever kept on your toes in a game thats already hard going.

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Fear level:mildly panicked.

Back in 1996, gaming was coming out of the SNES era.

Unfortunately, despite being more action orientated, Dino Crisis never really clicked with the PlayStation audience.

However, it still packs one of the most effective scares of the era.

one of the mutant dogs from outside breaks through the window and runs towards you.

You turn to run then crash!

another dog crashes through and gives chase.

But their reunion is quickly cut short by the sudden appearance of the trenchcoat-clad Nemesis.

Fear level:Fetch the mop.

Time has not been kind to Resident Evils graphics.

What was once considered top of the range in 1996 just looks like animated cardboard in 2014.

But theres one moment in the original Resident Evil that never fails to bring a chill to the spine.

After one quick encounter with a zombie in the closet, you chance upon the keepers diary.

Its a genuinely unnerving moment of quiet creeping horror in a title thats ridiculed for its cheesy cut-scenes.

Fear level:Skin crawling.

Running through an undead-infested Raccoon City, you slip down an alleyway into a quiet gun shop.

What works well here is how much it wrong-foots you.

Fear level:Eurgh!

you might see his guts and everything.

Nowadays, AAA games are huge tentpole productions with Hollywood-level production values using some top talent.

But this wasnt always the case.

Fear level:Make it stop!

Oh just make it stop!

One of horrors most powerful (literal) weapons is the humble chainsaw.

Theres an immediate sense of urgency when you hear their oncoming metallic grind while surrounded by Los Ganados.

Any hesitation or panic results in your gruesome decapitation and you quickly hitting continue to exact revenge.

In a game where adaptation is crucial, theyre veritable fireworks thrown in to mix things up even further.

His mouth contorted into a silent scream suggests that hes not entirely comfortable with the situation.

But theres a wonderful little detail that may well go unnoticed on first glance.

The bold red logo, already standing out against its monochrome backdrop, already reminds us of blood.

Fear level:I cant look!

In the early stages of series highpointResident Evil 4,Leon Kennedy knows something bad is up.

Hes already seen his colleagues fall into the ravine and seen one fall victim of mob violence.

Its the culmination of the slow build-up of menace, where you only had to deal with lone stragglers.

Suddenly, youre faced with an entire swarm.

Its an adrenaline-charged, frantic rush as you use your wits and the environment around you to stay alive.

Fear level:Attending a Manchester United match wearing a Liverpool strip.

Something snaps and a pool of crimson spills out.

The head of your comrade Kenneth fills the screen, before rolling to reveal half the flesh is missing.

The emaciated figures head turns around and its dead eyes lock on to you as he growls hungrily.

Another great moment of creeping dread that comes so soon in the game yet resonates throughout.

Fear level:Gulp!

Even those familiar with the original and its lore were treated to new scares.

Fear level:A long warm steady stream of effluence running down your leg.